Housing News Digest
Housing News Digest
The Tenants' Union Housing News Digest compiles our pick of items from all the latest tenancy and housing media, sent once per week, on Thursdays.
Below is the Digest archive from November 2020 onwards. From time to time you will find additional items in the archive that did not make it into the weekly Digest email. Earlier archives are here, where you can also find additional digests by other organisations.
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Archive
Explained: The government's stalled housing agenda, and why the Greens are opposing it
Ewa Staszewska SBS (No paywall)Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged the Greens to support Labor's proposed housing legislation as two key elements face the Senate. The next steps of the federal government's housing agenda — the Help to Buy and Build to Rent bills — are both up for debate this week. After teaming up with the Coalition to block the latter bill in June, the Greens have continued to clash with the federal government on what the best solution for both renters and prospective homeowners would be.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/explained-the-governments-st…
# Must read Australia, Rent.Why has Australia fallen so short on housing targets – and how can it get out of the crisis?
Peter Hannam The Guardian (No paywall)It has been clear for some time that Australia is unlikely to come close to meeting the Albanese government’s goal of 1.2m new homes over the five years from last July. The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, set up late in 2023, expects “just under 1m homes” over that period – an estimate in line with bodies such as the Housing Industry Association. Approvals barely topped 160,000 last financial year, or just two-thirds of the government’s desired annual target.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/22/why-has-austral…
# Hot topic Australia, .Why News Corp’s realestate.com.au can put fees ‘up and up and up’, according to ex-CEO
Sarah Martin The Guardian (No paywall)A former chief executive of the News Corp-controlled realestate.com.au says the company views real estate agents as its “outsourced sales force”, outlining how home sellers have been targeted with ever-rising advertising costs. Simon Baker, who was chief executive of REA Group from 2001 to 2008 and now works as a consultant in the property tech industry, says the “vendor-paid” advertising market operating in Australian real estate is rare globally.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/23/simon-bak…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Starting a tenancy.Aussies are being left with $8 after paying rent
Emily Power Domain (No paywall)Vulnerable Australians are left with $8 to their name after paying rent, new data shows. Low-income earners, people on the pension and those receiving disability support payments are struggling to afford housing, with rental prices in almost every suburb in the nation outside their means. The Priced Out 2024 by housing rights campaign group Everybody’s Home found that Aussies receiving the age pension and disability support pension would have $8 remaining after paying the rent.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/aussies-are-being-left-with-8-aft…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Making the rental market fairer
ABC Radio National ABC (No paywall)With more than 30 per cent of households across Australia renting their homes and the national rental vacancy rate sitting at 1.3 per cent, the rental market has become a hot button political issue. NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones has been given the task of looking at ways to make the rental market more fair and modern. She joined RN Breakfast to discuss.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/r…
# Hot topic, Audio Australia, Rent.‘The bear at the door’: estate agents say they fear speaking out about realestate.com.au ‘price gouging’
Sarah Martin The Guardian (No paywall)Real estate agents have hit out at the market dominance of realestate.com.au, which is majority owned by the News Corp-controlled REA Group, saying the portal is “price gouging” as a result of its effective monopoly. Multiple agency directors, many of whom fear commercial retribution if they publicly criticise the $27bn behemoth, say the company’s tactics and pricing structures have become more aggressive in recent years because of its dominance in the Australian property market.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/19/the-bear-…
# Hot topic Australia, .A closer look at Rent Assistance increases
Leo Patterson Ross Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The most notable announcement for renters in the 2024 Federal Budget was an increase in the maximum rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA). The federal government has trumpeted the increase in CRA as a cost-of-living relief, but what will this mean for people receiving CRA? Starting 20th September 2024, the maximum rate for rent assistance will increase by 10% and will come alongside the next indexation of the payment. However, eligibility criteria remain unchanged, leaving many renters without the support they need.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/closer-look-rent-assistance-incr…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent.Rental advertisement for Sydney unit above childcare taken down after concerns raised about tenant access
Holly Tregenza and Joseph Hathaway Wilson ABC (No paywall)An ad for a three-bedroom unit a short drive from the iconic white sands of Bronte Beach has been pulled after it sparked outrage for its extensive list of conditions for prospective tenants. The only entry point to the "large, spacious unit" home, which was advertised at $950 a week, is through the childcare centre underneath. "Occupants are required not to come and go during kindergarten hours," the listing said, meaning they must not enter or leave for a 10-hour period most days.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-19/sydney-rental-rules-tenan…
# Must read, Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Security and safety.